BNP Paribas Financial Markets Makes New $389,000 Investment in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $389,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.06% of HBT Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HBT. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in HBT Financial by 47.7% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in HBT Financial by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,309 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 17,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 1,244 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,638 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in HBT Financial by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,758 shares of the company's stock worth $455,000 after buying an additional 1,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company's stock.

HBT Financial Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of HBT traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.04. 277 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 32,717. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. HBT Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.16 and a 52 week high of $26.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.32. The company has a market cap of $756.98 million, a PE ratio of 10.64 and a beta of 0.60.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. The company had revenue of $63.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 6th. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Hovde Group upgraded shares of HBT Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $28.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $25.80.

About HBT Financial

HBT Financial, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company that provides business, commercial, and retail banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and municipal entities in Central and Northeastern Illinois, and Eastern Iowa. The company's deposits accounts consist of noninterest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.